Equine Anhidrosis is a common condition that affects horses of any breed, age, and coat color. Horse owners often discuss it and its prevention, but what is it?
Equine Anhidrosis is a condition in which horses are unable to sweat when needed. No known factors make horses more prone to developing it. Anhidrosis is not curable, but there are ways to manage it.
Sweating is especially important when the horse lives in hot climates. Continue below to learn more about anhidrosis and possible treatments.
Equine Anhidrosis Overview
Equine Anhidrosis occurs when horses lose the ability to sweat. This is a problem because sweating helps them regulate their body temperature, eliminate waste, and protect the skin barrier. It can either be acute (last for a short time) or chronic (lifelong).
Anhidrosis is common in hot or humid climates and can occur without warning. Every case is different. Some horses only stop producing sweat in certain areas of the body, while some stop sweating altogether.
Symptoms of the condition aside from the inability to sweat include difficulty breathing, flared nostrils, increased heart rate, fatigue, and collapse in extreme cases. Heat stroke is the major concern with diagnosis, as it can be fatal if untreated. Over time, horses dealing with the condition show increased thirst and decreased appetite.
Veterinarians diagnose equine anhidrosis using a series of injections into the coat to determine what areas lack sweat. No coat color, age, or breed of horse will develop the condition more often than others. However, one study noted that horses with thyroid deficiency can develop it more often.
Treatment and Prevention of Equine Anhidrosis
There is no cure for equine anhidrosis, but there is treatment for it, and it is preventable. The most immediate solution to assist an anhidrotic horse is to move them to a cooler climate. Other suggestions include providing free choice access to shaded areas, offering cool water always, nighttime turnout, moving workouts to cooler times of day, and dampening the skin with a shower or cloth after a hard workout. Acupuncture and other alternative treatments are effective for some horses.
The recommended preventatives for equine anhidrosis are free-choice salt and electrolyte supplements. Electrolytes ensure horses stay hydrated in hot and humid weather and promote waste elimination like sweating. They also help horses with proper neuromuscular function.
Exercising horses in the heat and the stress that comes with it can exacerbate the onset of equine anhidrosis. BioPro Armour helps reduce the stress horses feel during workouts by regulating the immune system. Powerful thymic proteins and zinc work together to arm your horse’s body to kill pathogens and keep your horse from getting sick while reducing stress. Click the link above to try it today, we promise you won’t regret it.
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